It’s so Joever
Forumlurker161
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« Reply #200 on: April 19, 2024, 03:38:07 PM » |
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The 1970’s called, they want their economy back:
By Forumlurker
NYMAN, ATLASIA - Building upon already existing stagflationary trends (increasing inflation and
unemployment) the Atlasian economy has continued to suffer post-Covid and Southern crisis,
with the inflation rate continuing to remain stubbornly high at 7.2% (a very slight decrease from
December) and unemployment having surged into the double digits, being 10.4% as of this
February. The trend of the Southern and Fremont regions being the most impacted continues to
hold although even in the least impacted parts of Atlasia, the unemployment rate has surged
and an increasing number of civilians are estimated to be living in poverty. A “Northwards
migration” effect has been taking place with over 100,000 Southerners having left the region to
Lincoln and Fremont alone, and a reported surge in illegal crossings from Atlasia to Canada.
Consumer confidence has now dropped to levels below their worst in 2008, and a general
sense of pessimism is being felt among investors, with the DOW having dropped to below
30,000 for the first time since late 2021.
Migrant Crisis Solved?
By Forumlurker
SAN DIEGO, ATLASIA - After over a year of continuous domestic instability and a now tanking
economy, border apprehensions in 2023 decreased by over 33% compared to 2022. This
downward trend has continued into 2024, with the month of January having the least
apprehensions since the Covid-era. After many concerns over a surge in migrants in 2021 and
2022, it appears that Atlasian politicians have managed to solve the seemingly impossible.
Several critical policy analysts have pointed out this is likely due to worsening domestic living
conditions in Atlasia removing the incentive to make the perilous journey, however, the numbers themselves can not be disputed.
Houston, we’ve got a problem:
By Forumlurker
HOUSTON, ATLASIA - Although the vast majority of urban Southern counties and municipalities
have been poorly enforcing or outright ignoring recent Southern legislation, causing the NYT
yesterday to have called the South “A collection of fiefdoms”, one city has remained true to the
Southern textual law and has been strictly enforcing the recent bills passed. However, tensions
hit a boiling point when a yard sale in the Sunnyside neighborhood resulted in the arrest of
resident James Madison (no relation to the Fourth US president). The sale involved a stack of
coat hangers which were sold for five dollars. However, the purchaser was an undercover cop
who promptly arrested the family’s sole provider. Being a valued member of the community, the
neighborhood began to erupt into protest, with those across the city taking up the cause far
beyond the streets of Sunnyside. The Houston mayor responded with force, resulting in a brutal
crackdown resulting in multiple fatalities. THis did not deescalate the situation in the city,
prompting further protests and a riot which resulted in the Houston Town Hall to be broken into
(although was quickly protected) The city of Houston has now requested assistance from both
the Texas State Guard, and the Southern Prince in dealing with this situation.
The Gila Monster
By Forumlurker
GLOBE, ATLASIA - It is an idyllic wild western town surrounded by mountains and desert for as
far as the eye can see. It is also a town which is home to a group that wants to end that western
association. A political group which had been identified by the FBI as early as 2022 has surged
in membership recently. Although the exact ideology of the group is vague with even
anonymous members giving different accounts, a general support for right wing politics and
recently, a support for Arizona to become a part of the South seem to be common unifiers. The
group gained local notoriety when one of its members was caught in the planning of a school
shooting a day before the act was supposed to take place. Of course, the group denied
responsibility and promised “improved admission screening practices”. However with the group
rising and the relatively anti-Fremontian and anti-government rhetoric espoused by the leader,
Curtis Gadsen (note:not his actual surname but one he gave himself), there is concern among Arizona residents that this group could go rogue.
Atlant-Out:
By Forumlurker
ATLANTA, ATLASIA - In response to a series of measures taken by the Southern Government
to reign in county officials who had previously committed to defying Southern law, the mayor of
Atlanta in coordination with Fulton County and Dekalb County officials have called upon their
civilians to “prepare themselves for tyranny”. The mayor has announced a public emergency
and has called upon civilians to stockpile food, water, and munitions in case of “suppression”.
State and Regional armed forces have also been requested to leave, a request which has
obviously been denied thus far. Unverified sources also claim that the Atlanta police are being
given new training. Although the political situation is tense, life goes on in Atlanta, with few
civilians even noticing much of a difference, mostly passively supporting the mayor. However,
time will tell whether the situation escalates beyond a war of words.
INTERNATIONAL
Pop, The Magic Dragon:
By Forumlurker
BEIJING, CHINA - Although many global news networks have been largely covering the
continued instability in Atlasia, the World’s second largest economy is also experiencing one of
its worst periods in modern history. Although unemployment statistics have recently not been
updated (a development which in itself has spooked investors) experts believe that the urban
unemployment rate may now stand at 7.6 percent. While nowhere near as high as many other
sizable economies at this point in time, the trends are concerning for policymakers with Beijing
announcing new fiscal stimulus measures last week in an attempt to prop up sagging demand.
In addition, both imports and exports have net declined this past quarter causing panic to
spread. To put matters into perspective, the Hang Seng Index currently stands at approximately
12,500, less than half of what it was just two years ago and even lower than the worst of the
2008 recession. Economic anxieties have begun to take center stage on Chinese social media
platforms such as Weibo despite heavy censorship on the platform. How this will impact Xi’s
desire to see China replace Atlasia as hegemon of the World is unknown, with a former
secretary of state who desires to remain anonymous equating the current situation to “Two idiots
seeing who can shoot themselves in the foot the hardest.”
MBS calls BS:
By Forumlurker
RIYADH-SAUDI ARABIA - Following a piece of legislation from the South which would
effectively bar the construction of minarets in a law similar to what Switzerland has, Saudi leader
Bin Salman threatened Nyman with a decline in oil output which would cause oil prices to surge.
Many analysts believe this may be an excuse to punish a government which has already been
relatively unfriendly with Riyadh in recent years over issues such as Yemen. Leaked reports
from Riyadh have suggested that MBS has been growing increasingly frustrated with the
Atlasian government and has begun to consider a shift towards other potential powers such as
Russia and China. The Israeli-Palestinian skirmishes which have angered the Arab World likely
also put pressure on the Saudi government to at least take symbolic action against Israel and
her allies such as Atlasia.
Oui want out! The rise of AdiEU:
By Forumlurker
PARIS, FRANCE - Following a series of emergency meetings regarding the struggling euro and
a surge in migrants (unlike Atlasia, illicit immigration remains a serious issue for the EU) French
president Le Pen announced “phase one” of a plan to see France transition out of the European
Union and the Eurozone over the next ten years. The announcement of this plan further
devastated the already weak Euro and shook international markets from London to Tokyo.
Meanwhile, the situation on the ground in France remains starkly divided. In the cosmopolitan
city of Paris, protests against Le Pen have already been taking place against the hasty plans to
exit the EU. One protest even saw a life sized doll of Le Pen executed with a makeshift
guillotine. On the other hand, opinion in many rural parts of France seems to be just as strong,
with numerous social media posts of French farmers burning EU flags and the rural commune of
Athies officially declaring itself as independent from the multinational union. Although Brexit has
received a mixed reception at best, Le Pen assuaged critics at a press conference noting
fundamental differences between the French exit strategy and the British one (or lack of one)
and the contexts. Whether these reassurances will stand the test of time remains to be seen,
and whether the EU could survive a French exit is equally in question.
Timber goes the Cedar Tree:
By Forumlurker
BEIRUT, LEBANON - Following a disastrous couple of years, many Lebanese civilians and
officials alike had hoped for better news in 2024. Unfortunately, as has so often been the case
recently in Lebanon, all hopes have sunk about as much as the Lebanese GDP. Following a
complete breakdown in parliament over a religious freedom bill, the Lebanese parliament
dissolved once again in late January. However, this was not an ordinary story of political
infighting that happens in Western countries all the time as well and is considered an officially
recognized national pastime of Belgium. Rather, Hezbollah declared new “electoral security
measures” in regions it controls in southern Lebanon, resulting in massive protests in Tyre that
ended in violence (although no reported casualties) However, this was not the end of the fun in
the multicultural Mediterranean nation. The Lebanese Armed Forces attempted a military
operation under Joseph Aoun on February 5th in an attempt to “stabilize an escalating country”
This attempt at stabilization had the predictable effect of destabilizing the entire country, with
Hezbollah and aligned groups declaring the “coup government” illegitimate, and urging civilians
to fight back. In beirut where most of the operation took place, several Hezbollah MPs were
arrested for treason by the armed forces, resulting in Hezbollah to retaliate by doing the same
with political rivals in southern Lebanon and Lebanese military forces. At this point, parliament
has dissolved completely and the chance of fighting between the LAF and Hezbollah seems a
real possibility for the first time in years, bringing an end to the uneasy peace the country had
worked so hard to obtain decades ago.
Portuguese Election ends in Deadlock
By Weatherboy
LISBON, PORTUGAL - After the previous Socialist Party (PS) government fell due to a
corruption scandal, Portuguese citizens headed to the polls earlier this month, looking to elect a
new government. In the end, however, the results left no clear government likely, as the
centre-right Democratic Alliance (AD) fell well short of a majority, having to rely on the far-right
CHEGA (CH) to govern. Meanwhile minor parties had mixed results, with the classical liberal
Liberal Initiative (IL) and progressive, pro-EU, green, liberal socialist FREE (L) parties making
gains, while left-wing to far-left Left Bloc (BE) and Unitary Democratic Coalition (CDU) stagnated
or lost seats. The environmentalist People, Animals, Nature (PAN) narrowly held their seat, and
in an odd twist, the minor right-wing party National Democratic Alternative (ADN) gained a seat,
with AD making accusations that the similar party names/abbreviations led to voter confusion
and lost seats for the AD. AD: 77 seats (+/- 0) PS: 75 seats (-44) CH: 53 seats (+41) IL: 10
seats (+2) L: 5 seats (+4) BE: 4 seats (-1) CDU: 4 seats (-2) PAN: 1 seat (+/- 0) ADN: 1 seat
(+1) While an agreement seemed to be made, the vote on José Pedro Aguiar-Branco to
become speaker failed as CH didn't vote in favor, with CH leader Andre Ventura claiming the AD
never contacted him despite saying otherwise in previous statements. The confusion has led to
most experts predicting a new set of elections if CH and AD were unable to come to an
agreement. In the end, after hours of intense talks, the PS agreed to support Aguiar-Branco for
speaker on the condition that a PS member would be speaker starting in 2026. Despite the
successful speaker election, it's not likely that the government, being nearly 40 seats short of a
majority, holds on for long, with most predictions stating another election will come this year or
next year.
Let Sleeping Dragons Lai
By JosephCao
TAIPEI, TAIWAN – Vice-president Lai Ching-te ascended to Taiwan’s top job in elections held
for the presidency and Legislative Yuan of Taiwan in January, producing an unprecedented third
consecutive presidential term for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party helmed by Lai’s
superior, Tsai Ing-wen. The party also performed well in the legislative elections, holding its
majority and likely allowing Lai to inherit his predecessor’s ample legislative latitude.
2024 Taiwanese presidential election
Lai Ching-te / Hsiao Bi-khim (DPP): 55.39%
Ko Wen-je / Wu Hsin-ying (TPP): 22.71%
Chu Li-luan / Hou Yu-ih (KMT): 21.90%
More than anything else, this result has been interpreted on the international stage as a victory
for Tsai and another black eye for Xi Jinping and the People’s Republic of China. Tsai’s
leadership during the PRC blockade of Taiwan in 2021 and ability to mobilize domestic and
international support alike for her defense of the island is thought to have resonated strongly
with voters, repeating a dynamic from her 2020 reelection in which the PRC crushing of dissent
in Hong Kong boosted her and her party’s ratings against their China-friendly opponents. Thus
voters have largely viewed the recent election as a referendum on Tsai’s leadership, as Lai and
his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim were both key drivers of the government’s response to the
blockade (Hsiao, the then-Taiwanese representative to Atlasia, notably led the diplomatic push
for the Taiwan airlift and saw her domestic and international profile greatly raised as a result).
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